abcnovels
Chapter 217 (Part 2)
Chapter 217 (Part 2)
Chapter 217: The Start of Round 13 (Part 2)
The quest was simple. For Ryu Min, it was the easiest quest out of all the previous rounds.
‘I’ve already completed it.’
[This round’s quest is to raise your reputation with a race to ‘Very Friendly.’ Compared to other rounds, this one is quite easy, don’t you think?]
“Very Friendly?”
“You could raise reputation?”
Most players had no idea that races even had reputation systems, let alone how to raise them.
‘If they’ve never raised it before, they wouldn’t know.’
But Ryu Min had already raised his reputation with the Elves to ‘Very Friendly’ back in Round 8. In fact, he had three other races with ‘Very Friendly’ reputations as well.
‘With the Elves, I’ve even reached ‘Eternal Ally.’’
This was all thanks to the Rune of Reputation, which boosted all reputation levels by one.
For that reason, there was nothing for Ryu Min to worry about in this round. From the start, he had already completed the quest.
[Reputation starts at neutral. By doing actions that make a race favor you, you can raise it to friendly, and then to very friendly.]
From neutral to ‘Very Friendly’ there were two stages.
‘It’s not an easy task to raise it by two levels.’
Although the angel made it sound simple, it wasn’t. That’s why they were given 10 hours to complete the quest.
But for the followers of the Death God Cult who had received Ryu Min’s guidance, things were a little different.
‘I’ve already shown them the fastest quests to increase reputation.’
The angel continued explaining while Ryu Min was deep in thought.
[You’ve done missions in fantasy worlds before where you had to complete side quests, right? It’s the same idea. Completing side quests that appeal to certain races will raise your reputation with them. And as a bonus, you’ll receive experience, gold, and items as rewards.]
“So, to raise reputation, we have to do side quests?”
“Basically, we have to pick one race and spam their quests?”
[Of course, the difficulty of the quests will determine how much reputation and rewards you earn, so choose wisely. In conclusion, you have 10 hours to raise your reputation with a race to ‘Very Friendly,’ or you won’t survive.]
“They gave us 10 hours, so it must be tough to raise it.”
“Ugh… this isn’t going to be easy.”
While most players felt like they were stranded in a sea of uncertainty, the 170 followers of the Death God Cult didn’t share the same anxiety.
At least they knew which quests would help them achieve their goal quickly.
[You won’t have much time to waste. The faster you raise your reputation, the faster your name will appear on the survivor list. Of course, if someone has already completed the quest… they’ll have 10 hours of free time. But there’s no way someone could have done that yet… Oh?]
The angel, who had been explaining, suddenly paused, clearly flustered as they checked the survivor list.
[H-Hold on, someone already completed it? They’ve already reached ‘Very Friendly?’]
Although the angel didn’t mention any names, there was no doubt who it was.
‘That would be me.’
Ryu Min chuckled quietly, his expression calm and confident. Having cleared the quest as soon as it began, he had 10 hours of free time, just as the angel had mentioned.
[W-Well, then. Let’s move on to choosing your starting location!]
A message popped up in front of the players’ eyes.
[Please select the region where you would like to begin.]
? 1. Albitz Kingdom
? 2. Braham Kingdom
? 3. The Holy Empire
? 4. Elsorium
[If you do not choose within the time limit, a location will be chosen for you randomly.]
[Time remaining to choose: 00:00:59]
As most players hesitated and agonized over their choice, the followers of the Death God Cult knew exactly where to go.
“We’ll go ahead, Black Scythe.”
“Me too.”
As Heo Tae-seok and Seo Arin were about to move, Min Juri quickly stopped them.
“Ah, wait! Don’t forget your buffs before you go!”
She cast her buffs on the group, who thanked her in return.
“Thanks, Democracy.”
“You’re a lifesaver!”
“Good luck, everyone!”
After exchanging words of encouragement, they selected their starting location and vanished.
“Black Scythe, you too. Here’s your buff.”
“Thanks.”
Ryu Min smiled lightly as he received the buff. He didn’t really need it, but one could never be too sure in a game of survival.
‘You never know when the archangel might show up for revenge again.’
Since Sariel had appeared before, it was likely they could show up again.
As Jo Yong-ho’s mercenary group and Min Juri disappeared, Ryu Min found himself standing alone.
Glancing at the list of choices, he had already made up his mind long before the round had even begun.
‘Option 4. Elsorium.’
With a simple touch, the space around him shifted in an instant.
*
Chirp, chirp—
Ryu Min found himself in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by birds chirping in the trees.
‘This is the place.’
The reason he had chosen Elsorium was simple.
‘I need to obtain the Rune Fragments stored in the Elves’ treasure vault.’
If his reputation had merely been ‘Very Friendly,’ it would have been impossible. But with an ‘Eternal Ally,’ the Elves would gladly open their treasure vault to him.
Even the Princess herself wouldn’t object.
In Elsorium, the council of elders had long seized control, and the princess held very little power.
Rustle, rustle—
Ryu Min brushed aside the thick foliage and walked ahead.
‘It’s over there.’
Although only trees stood before him, he could feel something unusual in the air. As he took another step forward and crossed an invisible boundary—
Whoosh—
The lush forest suddenly disappeared, revealing a grand and majestic city before his eyes.
The city of the Elves, hidden behind a magical barrier—Elsorium.
‘Impressive.’
As he admired the grand scale of the Elven buildings, he crossed the bridge over a rainbow-colored river. At the entrance, two Elven guards blocked his path, crossing their spears.
“A human? What business do you have here?”
“Turn back at once!”
Despite their cold tone, Ryu Min didn’t flinch. Instead, he looked up, as though waiting for something.
[The round’s special ability, ‘Translation,’ is currently active.]
[You can now communicate with beings from other realms.]
[All players can now speak and understand all languages.]
Luckily, there wouldn’t be any problems communicating with the NPCs.
“Human! Are you deaf? We said turn back!”
“Did you not hear us?”
The guards, ready to dismiss him, suddenly froze upon seeing his face.
As if recognizing who he was.
“W-Wait… Are you Black Scythe, the warrior from another world?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Ryu Min replied curtly, and the guards immediately straightened, bowing deeply.
“We deeply apologize for not recognizing you sooner, esteemed one!”
“P-Please forgive our earlier rudeness!”
Their attitude had made a complete 180-degree turn.
After all, an ‘Eternal Ally’ reputation was only given to those who had saved an entire race. It wasn’t surprising that he was treated like royalty.
“Enough. Fetch the council elders. I need to speak with them.”
“Y-You wish to see the elders?”
“Yes, I have some important matters to discuss.”
“P-Please wait here. We will summon them immediately!”
As the guards hurried off, Ryu Min waited calmly, a satisfied look on his face.